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<title>Cuddles Are The Best Medicine by RobinPlaysTrumpet15</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436918">Cuddles Are The Best Medicine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15'>RobinPlaysTrumpet15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Back Pain, Couch Cuddles, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles, do not copy to another site, vent fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:54:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436918</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>TK had planned to just go home after his shift. He goes to Carlos' instead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlos Reyes/TK Strand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>181</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cuddles Are The Best Medicine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My very first 9-1-1: Lone Star fic! I'm excited. It's been a <i>long</i> time since I've been in a new fandom, and a long time since I've been as focused as I am on a fandom that's not Star Wars. It's refreshing.</p><p>Anyway, I wrote this the other day because I was hurting, and wanted to project onto one of my new favorite characters, and this is what happened. I hope you like it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>TK groans and lets himself collapse onto the couch.</p><p>The day hadn’t been kind to him, despite his shift being pretty slow and boring. They were called to only one scene, and it had just been a little girl’s kitten stuck up a tree. TK had no problem saving a little kitty for a distressed toddler, but it had given him more downtime during the shift to notice the tense, burning ache building in his back.</p><p>It’s not anything to be concerned about, really. Just some muscle aches and pains. He must have pushed too hard during a workout or a call or just slept wrong recently.</p><p>But he’s so tired. He’s hurting and had been planning to go home and do nothing but lay on the couch and watch TV. Maybe his dad would have even joined him, sat with him for a while before making dinner. A late dinner, to be sure, but such was the life of firefighters.</p><p>Instead, he’d come back to his phone to find a text waiting for him. It was from Carlos. Just seeing his boyfriend’s name on the screen brought a smile to TK’s face.</p><p>
  <strong>Down to meet up for dinner after our shifts?</strong>
</p><p>TK really just wanted to go home and lay down. But the thought of seeing Carlos and spending time with him — that’s definitely a good one. Maybe he can even get them out of sitting at the table and Carlos will just curl up on the couch with him. Or hell, maybe they can just go to bed. TK won’t have the heating pad from his and Dad’s place, but that’s okay. He knows Carlos has some over the counter pain meds. Ibuprofen or something. He’ll be fine.</p><p>He shoots off a response, his mind made up.</p><p>
  <strong>Sure. Need me to pick anything up?</strong>
</p><p>It only took another minute or two for his phone to chime with a response.</p><p>
  <strong>No, we’re not cooking tonight. Rough day. I’ll bring food back. Just let yourself in</strong>
</p><p>He frowned, and wondered what Carlos had to deal with all day. Maybe it wouldn’t be all that difficult to get in a nice, long cuddle session.</p><p>
  <strong>Sounds good, babe. I’ll see you soon</strong>
</p><p>TK gets there before Carlos does. It’s not very late, but definitely past dinner time. He’s starving though, having pled out of a meal with the crew just before leaving. Not only because Carlos is getting them food, but because TK definitely just wants to lie down. He doesn’t add that in so many words, but he admits to being tired. His dad and Judd did press a little bit, but they laid off easily when he said he just had to sleep it off.</p><p>TK is half lying down and looking forward to a couple pain relievers when the door opens.</p><p>“Hey, TK,” Carlos says hardly before the door is even closed. “I hope I got this order right— TK, you okay?”</p><p>Carlos is kneeling by the couch before TK can even sit up or nod.</p><p>“Yeah, ‘Los, I’m alright,” he sighs, going to sit up. His back burns with the effort, but Carlos’ hands settle on his shoulders and press him back down.</p><p>“You sure?”</p><p>TK nods. “My back’s just killing me. I pulled something — slept wrong, maybe. My shift was fine, just long.”</p><p>Carlos hums. He cups TK’s cheek, leans in and presses their foreheads together gently.</p><p>“Can I get you anything, my love?” he asks on a whisper. “I have ibuprofen if you want some. And I brought dinner.”</p><p>TK lets out a little moan. “I would love some ibuprofen. And I definitely think cuddles will go a long way.”</p><p>Carlos smiles and presses a kiss to his temple. “Got you covered, baby. I’ll be right back.”</p><p>When he stands and heads up the stairs, TK pulls himself upward finally. Carlos left the bag of food on the coffee table, so he takes it upon himself to start setting out their dinner. He can at least make himself useful while his boyfriend is kind enough to get him the requested meds.</p><p>Carlos returns quickly and hands off the two little reddish pills. TK swallows them quickly and washes them down with the glass of water Carlos passes him immediately after.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“Of course. Now kick off those shoes so we can get all snuggled up.”</p><p>TK grins despite himself and follows the order. They curl up together easily, pulling a couple blankets out of the basket in the corner. It’s not cold, and TK feels perhaps a little warm with their combined body heat, especially since he personally runs like a furnace. But that matters very little. He’s comfortable. Carlos holds him, firm and present and so comforting.</p><p>It doesn’t take long for the ibuprofen to kick in, and the burning ache starts to ebb away. TK relaxes into his boyfriend, eating his food and watching whatever movie they’d decided on. He can’t really remember. With the pain seeping away and Carlos acting as TK’s most favorite and comfortable pillow, sleep sets into him with little effort. His eyes slip closed on a blink and just don’t reopen. He keeps intending to — keeps hearing things happen in the movie and Carlos making little sounds and comments that he means to open his eyes and see. But they don’t. The movie starts sounding far away, and the words don’t quite make sense anymore.</p><p>A slight jostle brings the world back into sharper focus, though his eyes still don’t open.</p><p>“Hey, Tiger,” Carlos says into his ear. “I think we oughta head upstairs. Don’t you?”</p><p>TK means to respond. He does. There are words in his brain that he intends to form and actually say. All he does is hum.</p><p>Carlos laughs at him.</p><p>“Yeah, babe. I think it’s definitely bedtime. Come on, let’s get up.”</p><p>Carlos shifts him again. TK whines, burrows back into their blanket nest.</p><p>“You know, I can just pick you up and carry you,” Carlos threatens.</p><p>Joke’s on him, though.</p><p>“Please…” TK mutters, only half-aware that he’s speaking at all.</p><p>In the part of his brain that is still awake, TK feels Carlos shake his head.</p><p>“Yeah, I should have seen that coming. Fine,” he sighs. An arm slips more firmly around his back and another under his knees. “Up we go. Gotta sleep in an actual bed.”</p><p>TK hardly even feels the trip through the living room and upstairs. Carlos deposits him in bed and is only gone for a few moments before he’s back and pulling the duvet over them both.</p><p>A kiss is pressed against his temple, and he feels Carlos settle into his side. TK curls closer, wrapping an arm over his boyfriend’s chest.</p><p>“Goodnight, TK.”</p><p>“‘Night, Carlos.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this fic. I'm still new here and all, but I definitely plan to be doing more writing for this fandom. If you have any ideas or suggestions or prompts, I'd love to hear them!</p><p>And, if you're interested, I have a discord server where I talk about writing and fandoms and stuff. I just added new channels for Lone Star, so come on over if you like. <a href="https://discord.gg/8qQft5TYzb">Here's the invite.</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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